I just read that Roger Smith, star of the late 1950s-early ’60s TV hit “77 Sunset Strip,” died Sunday. That got me thinking about a couple old memories.

Back then, without fail, my parents and I watched that show every week. We never missed it. We loved the show, and we loved the stars —Ephram Zimbalist Jr., Edward “Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb” Byrnes, and of course Roger Smith.

In those days, my mom and dad and I drove out to Southern California every other year (via Route 66!) to visit relatives, and on one of our trips during the “77 Sunset Strip” era, we cruised Sunset Boulevard looking for the address. We didn’t find 77, but we did find the familiar location instead at 7700. We didn’t see Ephram, Kookie, or Roger, but next door to 7700, we did see Dino’s, Dean Martin’s nightclub, which was often featured on the show. So, like typical, Midwestern, star-struck tourists, we were thrilled, snapping pictures and giggling.

I’ll never forget that tiny memory. Another one, not so tiny, that I’ll never forget was conducting my phone interview with Ann-Margret in the spring of 2003 for the Frankfort Times.

She was on the road, headed for Indy with a big show, and she was kind enough to grant me the interview. I pretended to be cool, but ... Oh. My. God! Inside I was all atwitter. I was on the phone with one of my teen idols! I told her I’d seen “Bye, Bye, Birdie” twelve times, and I’m not sure that impressed her in the way I intended or if she simply thought I was odd. Either way, we had a great chat, which was one of the highlights of my news reporting career.

Today seems like an appropriate time to share that story with my friends because Roger Smith was Ann-Margret’s husband for fifty years. She had been lovely to answer my questions about some of her famous co-stars — like John Wayne, Jack Lemmon, and Elvis. So just before we ended the call, I pressed my luck and asked her about Roger.

She told me he was the love of her life, and that she couldn't be happier spending all her time with him. Not only that, she said, “He’s cute.” I certainly agreed and told her so. Shortly after that, we said our goodbyes, I thanked her profusely, and the call was over.

For the record, the second I hung up the phone, I ditched my phony cool, highly professional reporter’s persona, darted across the newsroom to my friend Chris’s desk, grabbed her arm and squealed, “I just interviewed Ann-Margret!”

Following is the story I wrote for The Times based on that unforgettable chat fourteen years ago. Today, my heart goes out to her.

* * *

‘Glowing’ Ann-Margret Is Indiana-boundBy JANIS THORNTONAnn-Margret says performing is her passion.“I love getting up there and contributing and feeling and perspiring,” she told The Times in a telephone interview from her Beverly Hills home Wednesday. “I’m a healthy person.”She laughed and then, as if to assure her meaning was clear, she elaborated.“What is it they say?” she asked, hesitating long enough to recall the cliché. “Horses sweat, men perspire — but women glow.”A beat passed before she went on.“I really glow.”Frankfort fans will have an opportunity to watch the Swedish-born megastar glow on May 12. That’s when she will showcase her well-established musical talents in a new, Las Vegas-style variety show, “Here, Now,” at the Murat Centre, Indianapolis.After recently completing an 18-month tour, during which she treated Indianapolis and 41 other cities to performances — nearly 500 in all — of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” the Swedish-born megastar didn’t waste any time embarking on her next undertaking.“It was because of doing ‘Whorehouse’ for a year and a half, I thought ‘Hmmm,’ I really love this,” she said. “(It’s) that performer thing that you can’t operate out or tear out or take pills for.”Ann-Margret says, during this show she gets intimate with her audience by shadowing her career with film clips, singing her favorite songs and telling personal stories.“I wanted to do things I wanted to do,” she said. “I wanted to talk to the audience about things that are important in my life.”The show’s array of musical selections features songs she’s never performed on-stage before, including some from Ann-Margret movie hits, including a medley from the rock opera “Tommy,” which, she said, Academy Award-winning composer Marvin Hamlish arranged for her.Standing apart from the flashy, fast-paced numbers, however, will be an unassuming song Ann-Margret declares is her favorite — “Violets for Mother” — a simple, Swedish lullaby her mother taught her.Describing the show as “not lavish,” she explains she’ll be backed on-stage by a seven-piece band and four male singer-dancers she calls “splendid.” Two of them, she points out, are in their 20s.It’s an observation she follows with a girlish giggle.For many devout Ann-Margret fans, her name conjures up images of the sizzling red-head engaged in a game of dueling hip gyrations with Elvis Presley. That was way back in 1964, when the two heated up the silver screen in “Viva Las Vegas.” The film was her sixth in a string of almost 50 — some gems, some not — that would cross into next century.Despite a career spanning four decades, at age 62, she defies the forces of nature to maintain that famous, sex-kittenish, Ann-Margret appeal. What’s her secret?“I’m a happy woman,” she said. “I exercise three times a week, and Saturday mornings — come hell or high water, I think that’s the Midwestern term — I go out walking in the hills with my friends.”But surprisingly, off-stage she casts aside the sultry persona and allows her Midwestern values to take over. It’s an easy enough feat for her having grown up in Fox Lake, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, where her parents settled after moving to America from Sweden. The Olssons’ only child was just 6.Insisting she knows about Frankfort, Ind., she touts the Midwest is a great area to raise kids and, in fact, was a boon to her own start.Studying drama at Northwestern University, Ann-Margret launched her singing career at the age of 17. The legendary George Burns took a shine to the shy Swede and hired her for his Las Vegas show. The nod from Burns opened doors leading to Ann-Margret’s film debut, “Pocketful of Miracles“ in 1961. Over the years, she has starred opposite screen luminaries as Jack Nicholson, Jack Lemmon, Al Paccino, Arnold Schwarzenneger and, of course, Elvis.She declined to identify a favorite. A mention of one, however, seemed to infuse her with a charge of electricity: John Wayne.“He was great,” she said oozing enthusiasm. “He was huge — not only in height, but his personality, his being. You felt totally enveloped.”Her voice deepened, taking on a playful, Wayne-like lilt and she said, “Hey, little lady.”Besides winning adulation from fans, Ann-Margret’s film, television, and stage career has earned her scores of awards recognizing her professional accomplishments. Among them are presidential citations, five Golden Globe Awards, two Oscar nominations and six for an Emmy. She also was nominated last year for a Grammy for her CD, “God Is Love: The Gospel Sessions.”Ann-Margret’s demeanor softens when she reveals her motivation to record the collection of gospel tunes.“I had told my mother I was going to do it,” she said. “And she was so thrilled.”Sadly for her though, her mother died about a year ago, shortly before she got to the project.“She passed away,” she said in a tone that revealed a kind of reverence, “and it was three weeks later when I did the recordings. I did it after my shows, until about 4 a.m. I did it for her.“The feelings I had … I wish I could articulate. It just went all through me, and I knew she was there.”Of all her achievements, perhaps dearest to Ann-Margret is her 36-year marriage to Roger Smith, star of the late 1950s’ TV series, “77 Sunset Strip.”Her husband always accompanies her when she’s working, she pointed out.“That’s why we’ve been together,” she said. “There’s no way you can have any sort of lasting relationship if one is in Houston and the other is in Japan.”She sighed.“We really like each other.”And even 2,000 miles of telephone line does not diminish the transmission of her glow.•

What a terrific interview. Love how you wrote this and made me feel like I was right there. Thanks for sharing it!

Reply

Mary Louise Marlow

6/9/2017 07:07:41 am

Janis, this is fabulous! What a thrill this must have been, to have a chat with Ann Margaret. My mother used to say that bit about horses sweating, men perspiring, and ladies glowing! I've never heard or it from anyone else. Also I have long suspected that happiness and a good marriage contributed to lasting beauty. Of course, happiness and independence should also work! I'm happy that you are living the writer's life! I will be even happier when I can join you in that tribe.
Congratulations on the new book coming out in June!